The actor who plays Eddie Janko-Reagan in Blue Bloods may look familiar to TV viewers who have watched other popular dramatic television series. With Blue Bloods officially ending after season 14, despite fan demand for the series to continue and even cast members expressing their confusion as to why CBS would end the popular police procedural, there’s not much story left to tell of the Irish NYPD family. It’s a shame because there was always the hope that characters lower in the chain of command would move their way up in later seasons, becoming more of the focus.
Take Officer/Sergeant Jamie Reagan (Will Estes), who at one point seemed like he was being set up as the perfect replacement for Frank Regan (Tom Selleck) as commissioner. While it would have been nice to see the character mature, Jamie still has a great arc in Blue Bloods. The youngest member of the Regan family, Jamie is much more easygoing than his brothers and father and, as a Harvard grad, he’s one of the most educated NYPD officers walking the beat. Not always so lucky in the romance department, things finally work out for Jamie in season 8.
Officer Edit “Eddie” Janko-Reagan Began Blue Bloods As Jamie’s Work Partner & Became His Wife
Eddie Becomes A Member Of The Reagan Family In Season 8
Officer Edit “Eddie” Janko-Reagan (Vaness Ray) first appears in season 4, episode 1, “Unwritten Rules”, and she was billed as a recurring character before being promoted to series regular in season 5 and beyond. Eddie is the daughter of Hungarian and Serbian immigrants and, as an officer, is fiery and ambitious, hoping to make detective one day. Her hardheadedness puts her and Jamie at odds early on when she is assigned to Jamie’s car, but this pseudo-rivalry thaws into a romance in season 4.
However, neither party permanently acts on their feelings, fearful of how the relationship would affect their jobs. It isn’t until season 8 that Jamie and Eddie accept their feelings for one another, get engaged, and eventually marry. Blue Bloods primarily focuses on the insular Reagan family, so to have someone not in the family come in is a very helpful tool for the audience and gives them an outsider perspective on everyone, helping orient the story from a new perspective.
Vanessa Ray has done an excellent job playing the capable, but sometimes overconfident Eddie, and her chemistry with Estes is palpable in every scene. Ray is clearly having fun in the role and it shows. The actor told TheRhodeShow,
“I had no idea I would be blessed enough to be on a show that would be so well-loved and running so long. It’s a pretty cool gig to get. It’s kind of like winning the lottery as an actor.”
It’s a personal role for Ray, and she’s particularly connected with some storylines, telling The Nerds of Color,
“There was an episode, I think it was maybe last season or the season before, where I feel like Eddie kind of found a bit of her calling… but they found a baby like in a bag. That episode, I was reading it and I was weeping. But I feel like she really found her kind of calling in that she, I mean, this sounds silly to say but it’s like she helps the defenseless… I feel like that episode made a big shift and I feel like we’ve seen her over the last couple of seasons kind of build upon that.”
Ray’s commitment and connection with Eddie makes the character feel more lived in and why this new character to the show in season 4 fit right in with the veterans who had been there from the start.
Eddie Janko Actress Vanessa Ray Also Starred In Pretty Little Liars & Suits
Vanessa Ray Has Appeared In Several High Profile Productions
Vanessa Ray has had an impressive career beyond Blue Bloods as well. Primarily working in television, though she’s had notable performances in Devil’s Due and Mutual Friends, Ray has appeared in small roles in Nurse Jackie, Girls, and Damages. Her most notable performances beyond Eddie come in the Pretty Little Liars series as recurring character Charlotte Drake and in Suits as Jenny Griffith, who’s a recurring character in seasons 1 and 2.
Like Eddie, Jenny is a clever and kind character who manages to uncover her boyfriend’s infidelity, gathering evidence much like a cop. Charlotte, on the other hand, is certainly charming, as Eddie can be, but she’s also a violent murderer and a much more malevolent character than Ray has ever played. Ray always brings her A-game to her work, but Eddie Janko-Reagan on Blue Bloods remains Ray’s most fully rounded character.